I think Matt choosing to return would be like Grayson choosing to return after his sophomore year. It didn’t really have anything to do with draft position, he just really loved college and loved Duke and wasn’t ready to move on. He also had a plan in place to graduate in three years. In Matt’s case there could be some element of wanting to play in front of the crazies again and make a run at a title. Hard to predict what these kids will do, as there are a lot of factors that we are just not privy to.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
Banchero is absolutely dominating right now, he is a special talent. Can do it all. Looking forward to seeing him in a Duke jersey next year.
Is this true? I am not so sure. Elton Brand, for instance, got a job as GM of the 76ers. I don't think he earned a degree. Rodney Hood finished his degree within the last year by taking classes online (coincidently, his wife is former Duke WBB player Richa Jackson and I believe she had encouraged him to use his injury rehab time to do that). You can always go back to college. You cannot go back to being 20 years old.
sage was saying to coach at the COLLEGE level you need a degree. For the NBA, you do not.
But agree that you can always go back to get a degree although if you only have one year at Duke it's harder than it sounds and not many (has any OAD at Duke?) do it. The guys missing one year seem to be the ones eventually graduating.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
With Goldwire not coming back and no PG recruits that i'm aware of us looking at, i'd hope that we are looking at Justin Powell as a transfer from Auburn. Played very well before getting hurt as a freshman.
I mean, there's nothing official to say as his season isn't over yet. If anything, we've already gotten more information than usual with that post by Goldwire. And the post certainly suggest he's not planning to back for a 5th year. I think the working assumption should be that he's not coming back based on all we know to date.
Pretty sure Goldwire can't transfer. You can only return for an extra year at the school you are at this year.
There seems to be movement on a one-time transfer rule for college basketball and football for the 2021-22 season. National reporters are saying it will be voted on this spring.
FWIW, someone at Kentucky Sports Radio has indicated that Duke, among many others, has expressed interest in Powell. There has also been movement in the crystal ball for Trevor Keels to go to Villanova. Perhaps the two are related?
Here are highlights of Powell against Memphis, one of the better defensive teams in the country. From these and other clips I've seen, he appears to be a very good shooter and decent with his handles and off-ball movement. He's a bigger guard, around 6'6" and rebounded well for his position. Not the most athletic player, but very skilled.
"You can't go back to being 20 years old" cuts both ways though. One way to look at is if you leave before you are good enough to get/stick in the nba you probably won't get another chance. There are always new young talents cropping up and after a few years in the g-league, opportunities start to dry up. Also, if you are in the category of borderline nba player, you aren't likely to be playing until your age becomes an issue. Again, with new young talent coming available every season, the older you get the harder it becomes to hold a roster spot unless you are really well established and you get to play the savvy veteran mentor role. So it isn't always about maximizing the length of your career but making the likely short career as strong as possible.
It will be interesting to compare Grayson Allen's vs Frank Jackson's careers in a few years. Allen seems to be rounding into a solid nba player while Jackson seems to be running out of time and chances. I wonder where Jackson would be now if he has stuck around for another year or two. That question is particularly difficult because he was injured much of his rookie year which means he may not have played as a sophomore. Ryan Kelley is a guy who stayed and improved each year and was able to fashion a decent short career. Hurt better but similar in many ways. He has done enough to garner some interest from nba teams and will likely get some type of contract. Physically though, he could still be a couple of years away from really competing in the nba. If he stays in college another year (or two) he takes a hit from the "potential" standpoint that often drives the draft but he raises his floor and may have a better chance to carve out a 4-6 year career. Right now his only nba skill is shooting but he'd be a minus on defense and I'm not sure he is strong enough to get off shots against nba level defense except if he's sitting in the corner taking open 3's. I'm not that's enough value to earn a roster spot right now.
Yesterday the Devils Den guys all flipped their Crystal Ball predictions to Nova for Keels
https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitut...rtPredictions/